Favela da Rocinha Braces for Change
Nov 11th
November 11, 2011–Things are changing in Rocinha. The South Zone community is now effectively transitioning from being run by the notorious drug faction Amigos Dos Amigos (ADA) to a Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) force as early as this weekend. With international attention on Rio de Janeiro as it prepares for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, residents have long known the pacification of the favela was a priority for the city due to its physical importance (Rocinha is the largest favela in the Americas) and prime location nestled between São Conrado, Gávea and Leblon, some of the most exclusive More >
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World Cup and Olympics: The Show and the Myth
Nov 8th
Article by Raquel Rolnik originally published in Portuguese here.
I recently spoke with the magazine Revista Pagina 22, from the Sustainability Research Centre of the Getúlio Vargas Foundation Business School, about the social impact that the mega sporting events will have. The interview is available on the magazine’s website. See (the transcript of) our conversation below:
The show and the myth
In the history of mega sporting events the commonly touted urban and socioeconomic legacy is an exception, not the rule. Much more frequently their history is characterized by unassisted communities being transformed into victims of a chaotic evictions scheme and public coffers More >
Performing Arts as Transformation in Bangu
Oct 28th
It’s 4 o’clock on a Thursday afternoon, and a mix of hip hop and traditional Brazilian rhythms blare through the second floor windows of the Caixa de Surpresa Cultural Center in Vila Aliança, a favela in Bangu, Rio’s West Zone. Dance students rehearse choreographies and freestyle between songs. Meanwhile, in the first floor theatre, young actors review sketches.
Director and founder Waldemir Correia, with his unexpected energy and youthfulness, is a constant presence in all spaces at the Cultural Center, kidding in the courtyard with afternoon ping pong players, shouting reminders about manners and upcoming soccer matches in the hallway, and playfully More >
Angolans Choose Brazil
Oct 25th
Increasing numbers of people leaving Africa, and particularly Angolans, are choosing Brazil over traditional destinations in Europe and North America.
Around noon on Saturdays, a small group of African immigrants gather at the parks in Flamengo to play soccer and have a churrasco. Almost all of the young men who show up are from Angola, but some in the group are from Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Guinea Bissau and the conversations switch between Portuguese and French. Most have lived in Brazil for a number of years, and can now comfortably call Rio home. Though most live farther north in the Complexo More >
Maré Community Debates Impact of Mega Events on the City
Oct 19th
Original Portuguese article published in Observatório de Favelas.
On Friday September 30th, the NGO REDES de Desenvolvimento da Maré (Development Networks for Maré), in partnership with ActionAid and Observatório de Favelas (Favelas Observatory), set up the seminar “The city of and for mega sporting events: Walls, evictions and urban make-up.” The event brought together, at the Lona Cultural Herbert Vianna, in the Maré Favela, 250 people, a mix of residents, non-residents, thinkers and political activists, all interested in the debate about the current conjuncture of the city pre-World Cup and Olympics.
The participants discussed the potential and probable impacts that the huge sporting events of 2014 More >
